French Surf and Turf

Knowing how to use knives skillfully is the foundation of all cooking, and doesn't have to be scary or frustrating. Many home and even professional cooks don't always wield a knife correctly, however, which increases food preparation time and makes the process harder --- and less safe --- than it should be. Simply put, good knives are the foundation of a well-equipped kitchen. This class remedies all these basic issues: You will learn how to slice, dice, chop, and much more in the safest and most efficient manner. This class will even guide you through the practice of keeping your knives sharp and handling them correctly.

Here is the five-day version of Toba Garrett’s most popular class, the Wedding Cake Workshop. This hands-on seminar covers everything from baking the layers that will serve as the foundation of your tiered masterpieces to advice on transporting them safely to their destinations. You’ll learn: - Preparation of high-yield yellow cake, citrus curds, buttercreams, and white-chocolate and royal icing. - Making of white chocolate roses, buds, and leaves to be arranged on a two-tiered cake. - Gilding, petal dusting, rolled fondant classical drapery, free-hand drapery, cornelli lace, Swiss dotting, freehand embroidery, oval borders, plunger flowers, and appliqué designs. - Covering cakes with rolled fondant, tiered cake construction, and doweling techniques. - Pricing, transportation, contracts, and great cake stories. Prerequisite: Techniques of Cake Decorating 1

Georgian cuisine is finally being recognized for its variety, and the depth of flavors and techniques that characterize its unique culinary traditions. Given the country's location at the exact intersection of Europe and Asia, influences from both cultures have informed the dishes that the region is known for. From the banks of the Black Sea to the Caucasus Mountains, the land provides herbs, nuts and vegetables used in all aspects of its culinary traditions. You’ll become acquainted with the new "it" cuisine as you prepare: adjaruli khachapuri (cheese bread); nigvziani badrijani (stuffed eggplant rolls); tabaka (chicken cooked "under a brick") with blackberry sauce; and chakapuli (braised lamb with tarragon sauce).

The farms, orchards and of course vineyards of California's wine country combine to turn the region into one of the most bountiful in the U.S. The kitchens of Napa, Sonoma and the Russian River Valley highlight the quality of the ingredients at hand. Learn to make some of those dishes in your own kitchen, including: fig salad with sweet-spiced walnuts, Gorgonzola and Champagne vinaigrette; pork tenderloin with pan-roasted grapes; scallops with pan-roasted grapes and sauvignon blanc; and warm Dijon potatoes with fresh herbs and peas. You will enjoy these with a selection of California wines.